Death in Custody Action Plan: Ministerial Callous Indifference

“Prisoners join prison officers and the Opposition spokesperson for Justice, Paul Lynch, in calling for a Public Inquiry into the recent sequence of deaths. We now launch the Tracy Brannigan Action Plan,” said Justice Action Coordinator Brett Collins.

“The Minister for Justice, Greg Smith, and Justice Health CEO, Julie Babineau have ignored the Action Plan, designed to prevent such deaths. If this Action Plan had been implemented and lessons in the Brannigan case acknowledged, the Silverwater murder-suicide deaths, a mere month later, would not have occurred,” said Mr. Collins.

“The Action Plan requires protocols on safe living spaces without isolation, and gives a positive focus for energy,” said Mr. Collins.

“While a coronial inquest is being conducted into several deaths in custody, the process is slow and inadequate. The case focused nature of this measure fails to resolve the underlying systematic problems which need urgent attention as demonstrated by a long line of other deaths in custody that have seen no response or change,” said Mr. Collins.

“Justice Action is holding Greg Smith personally accountable and we will act upon the words of Tracy’s family that ‘no other family should lose their child this way.’ Today the Tracy Brannigan Action Plan has been forwarded to others calling for the Public Inquiry and will be tabled at Parliament to force the Minister to accept his duty of care,” said Mr. Collins.